1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to firearms and, in particular, to cartridge handling systems in firearms.
A variety of mechanisms is known in the art for dispensing ballistic cartridges from magazines and then conveying them to the firing chambers of firearms. Of these, the most inherently reliable types are those that utilize the principle of “pre-chambering”, i.e., substantially aligning the cartridge with the firing chamber before inserting it into the chamber. In conventional practice, pre-chambering mechanisms are usually combined with “tubular” magazines. This is done because this type of mechanism is inherently large in size, and the shape of tubular magazines allows them to be placed below the weapon's barrel, or in its stock, allowing the critically important area behind the chamber to be devoted to the pre-chambering system. Use of the much more popular “box-clip” type of magazine usually results in a system that is too bulky for use in small arms. An example of conventional practice is found in repeating shot-guns. Their blunt ended cartridges require good alignment for reliable insertion into firing chambers, and to accomplish this they utilize some form of pre-chambering, almost always combined with tubular magazines.
Pistols, being smaller than shoulder weapons such as shotguns, do not have sufficient room to employ tubular magazines. As a result, the pre-chambering concept has seldom, if ever, been attempted in this type of weapon. A search of prior art found nothing that could fairly be called “pre-chambering” used in a pistol. Semi-automatic pistols typically feed cartridges into the firing chamber using a mechanism that relies heavily on the design of the cartridges to tilt, pivot and “wiggle” the cartridges into position. In regard to the projectile (the cartridge front), the rounded shape, which suggests aerodynamics, is more often designed to fit into the opening of the firing chamber when inserted at an angle. The inserted portion becomes a pivot point for a rotation which brings the cartridge into alignment with the chamber. Usually anything more than a small variation in this shape will cause problems. Shapes other than rounded ones tend to be so difficult to feed that a pistol must be designed specifically for each one. Similarly, the material of which the projectile is made is also important, as the chamber opening is usually rather sharp angled, and a soft material may catch on it. These characteristics have greatly hindered the development of a major new innovation in firearms, the “non-lethal” cartridge. This type of cartridge has a projectile made of rubber or plastic, and is intended to deform severely or fragment on impact and, rather than penetrate a human body, deliver a painfull and temporarily debilitating blow without inflicting serious injury. The main intended use of non-lethal cartridges is self defense, which suggests that they should be developed primarily for use in pistols. To be used with existing pistols, the non-lethal cartridges would have to be designed to very closely match the conventional ammunition for which the pistols are designed. The requirements of non-lethal design, however, make this very difficult. The matter is further complicated by the fact that the science of non-lethal cartridge design is still new. There are many opinions on which design features work best in their intended function. Even if a pistol is to be used exclusively with these cartridges, the problems in feeding them will result in the need to dedicate the pistol to a small proportion of possible projectile designs. To put in the specifications a requirement that the non-lethal” projectile have the same shape and hardness of existing “lethal” ones so that they may be used in existing pistols makes it unlikely that the specifications can be met at all.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,114,821 to Thomas et al, dated Apr. 19, 1938, discloses a mechanism for conveying cartridges from a magazine in the butt of the rifle to the firing chamber. As shown in FIG. 5, the magazine 29 contains two columns of bullets 37. The bullets are staggered (FIG. 3) so that they are arranged in a close-packed configuration with each bullet in one column seated in the crevice defined by two bullets in the other column. Bullets are dispensed from the magazine in a sequential manner, first from one column then from the other. The magazine is divided into several compartments each having two columns of bullets arranged in this way.
German Patent Document No. 146031 to Harlas et al, dated Jun. 16, 1931, appears to disclose a handgun having a magazine that contains multiple parallel columns of bullets. The magazine has only one opening from which bullets are dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,749,726 to Von Frommer, dated Mar. 4, 1930, discloses a cartridge guide for repeating guns. The gun features a pivoting ramp (cartridge guiding surface 9) that guides cartridges dispensed from magazine 10 towards the chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,913,255 to Von Frommer, dated Jun. 6, 1933, discloses a magazine for repeating rifles. The illustrated weapon includes a pivoting cartridge guide 4 that pivots on the magazine. When the breech bolt is withdrawn, the slide pivots into position. As the breech bolt is shifted forward and a cartridge begins entry into the chamber, the bolt bears against the guide, which pivots out of the way.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,135 to Tollinger, dated Sep. 18, 1973, discloses a semi-automatic shotgun in which the magazine is a tube in which the cartridges are placed axially, the nose of each against the base of the one in front of it. A spring at the front of the tube pushes all of them toward the operating mechanism, where the first in line slides onto a pivoting elevator (carrier 16) until it stops. The tubular magazine is normally mounted below the level of the firing chamber, so the elevator then pivots to elevate the cartridge into alignment with the barrel. The cartridge is then inserted into the firing chamber.
As previously stated, arrangements like the one shown by Tollinger are not known to be used with “box” type magazines. The reason seems to be that the pivoting elevator system is inherently bulky, and when this is combined with the bulk of a box magazine, the result is a mechanism that is too large to be practical in a firearm. A tubular magazine is also bulky, but its shape allows mounting it below the barrel or inside the stock of a shoulder arm. Pistols have no stocks and short barrels, so tubular magazines are not practical for them. Pistols almost universally use box-clip-type magazines.